It is funny how the littlest of things can prompt a quest or start a project. Years ago, I won a black dishwasher but the house we lived in had an all-white, homeowner-installed kitchen. What to do with the dishwasher? I could have sold that dishwasher but it was better than the one we had AND there were loads of things that bugged me about our existing kitchen.

The previous homeowner had made all sorts of installation errors and, being a kitchen designer, I knew it. The dishwasher rubbed an arc in the plaster every time it was opened and closed. The cabinets were installed tight against the walls so the doors couldn’t open all the way…leaving dents in the walls from years of trying. The floor was added without planning for its thickness so all the appliances dropped down 3/4″ when they were pushed into place…making them very difficult to clean behind and leaving a gap below the countertop. The knobs on the doors were football-shaped so they spun and never stayed level. I could go on and on, but I am sure you can already understand why it was a no-brainer for me to decide to turn that free dishwasher into a full kitchen remodel!

Back in October, I stumbled across an interesting and beautiful photograph of a door posted by RedStuffDan. It was the little thing that started me down the path of trying to craft a similar door and structure out of clay in our ceramics studio. (Yes, when I am not creating beautiful full-sized kitchens, I like to create beautiful small-sized ceramics with my husband in our studio.)

I posted a few pictures of the work in progress on our art blog back then and promised to post the finished project when it was complete. Well, the home construction project is now finished. It was bisqued and stained in November and survived the cone 10 firing in December. By now, it is in move in condition!

Thanks again for your lovely photographs, Dan. That beautiful house from Damazan, France has now found a new home in California. I am even considering making another and laying the ground for the entire subdivision…just like in my day job! 😉